the OLD conner posse blog

we've MOVED!!!

2008-10-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

this blog ain't workin' for me. sooo....update your bookmarks - here's our new address:

http://theconnerposse.blogspot.com/

catching up...

2008-09-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

it's been so busy with the extra curricular activities and life in general. here are some recent highlights to catch up on...

i treated james and jenna to some fun at the beach during jessica's soccer practice. her practices are far away and another mom takes her out there for me, then we come early to watch then pick her up. this is one of the last warm and beautiful days of summer and i wanted to take advantage of it! we had so much fun...

i haven't taken many pregnancy photos so far, so i thought i'd take one of me, 15 weeks along. i was going to crop it, but when i noticed cute jenna smiling in the corner, i thought i'd keep it this way.

with james in joy school, jenna and i have alone time together for the very first time! sure, i sometimes use the time to run errands - but we also do things together like take walks, dance around or build things out of blocks.

i bought washable paints, along with these great little plastic things which can hold six colors. the kids were ecstatic when i told them we'd be painting. i showed them how colors mix together and make new colors and they took turns mixing with their paint brushes. we were painting for a longggg time - it was fun! james was especially proud of his artwork, as he kept holding it up for me to see.

i love when cute stuff happens...which is pretty often around here. when jenna wakes from her naps, she knocks quietly on her door til i come open it. it's so cute to hear her little knock. on this day, as i approached her door, she said, "it's meee!" i opened the door and found her like this:

after that, she was all about the hankerchief! she wanted "a hat" so i put it on her head like this. so cute...i had to take pictures. i'm going to miss that little profile...

lost and found

2008-09-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

this post has been moved to my private blog. for anyone interested in gaining access, just let me know!

p.s. i am annoyed with blogger right now because i can't seem to upgrade from template to layout. so i am stuck with a boring-looking blog right now. if anyone knows how to fix this, please tell me!!

~ellen

lately...

2008-09-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

jim has been gone again, for yet another out-of-state two week military training. it's been busy!! school started for jessica, joy school for james, piano lessons and soccer practice during the week for jessica (with games on saturday)...plus, i have still been nauseous and there simply aren't available babysitters like summer offered. *sigh* throw in various errands and appointments and you've got one insane, exhausted mama!

jiiiiim, come hommmme!

so, it's been crazy-busy but i also appreciate how it's made time go by faster. it's nice to have a schedule again, with things to do each day. i don't feel as sick as i was before, which enables me to get things accomplished even though i do feel icky as i am doing them. as least i'm vertical these days.

my friend, jeanne made this awesome GACK and we took some home with us. the kids had oodles of fun with the strange stuff. even i was playing with it. talk about weird science!

i'm in a book club (sorta) - i'm always invited but haven't made it to a gathering yet. right now, we're reading the book thief by markus zusak. it is phenomenal - so unique, so well-written. i highly recommend it. i invited my sister to join in, but it looks like neither one of us is going to make it to book club this time, so we created our own so we can still discuss this book. today, she came over and taught me to knit (yes, i know - i'm finally doing it!!), and we talked about the book thief. tre fun! here i am, in all my thirteen-weeks-pregnant glory, knitting...

that about sums it up for now. it's late. i am exhausted and the book thief beckons. g'nite!

first day of school

2008-09-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

jessica began school today! she'll be in ms. blix's second grade class. i still can't get over how big they're all getting. james will start joy school next week.

soccer girl

2008-08-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

jessica started soccer! she's on the lions and her coach is AMAZING. she loves it and already looks like a pro out there on the field. unfortunately, practices are a 20 minute drive away. we took her there and hung out on the playground, playing with james and jenna during her first hour long practice. we quickly discovered that a previous classmate is on her team, and i arranged with her mom to take her to and from practice since she stays the entire time. what a major blessing!! i can't imagine driving all the way out there twice a week and staying for an hour with two small children - while feeling sick! i am very grateful to this other mom!

that's odd...

2008-08-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

jenna cracks me up. she is such a crazy sleeper. i love to check on the kids during naptime and after bedtime, and always find jenna in the funniest places and positions. sometimes she even has props! lol...

i often discover she has wrapped herself up like a burrito - which is bad news in this summer heat!

i found her wearing her backpack the other day - with her hand on top of her head! how on earth is this girl comfortable?!?

just in time...

2008-07-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

i am SO glad i did this before i started feeling so awful. jim was in utah for two weeks for military training. while he was gone, i thought i'd surprise him by re-doing the bedroom. it began with tearing off the wallpaper and border, then scraping off the adhesive layer, then washing the walls down, then filling holes and clearing a few cobwebs from the vaulted ceiling. all of this probably took a week and a half, every chance i got. a few days before he returned home, i got a babysitter and painted all day long. it was pretty fun, but yes - a chore. i watched my "friends" dvds to make it more enjoyable.

if you remember from an earlier blog, the walls were white with an ugly green border/wallpaper on the bottom. now, it's warmed up in "arabian sands" neutral. jim couldn't believe i had done all that by myself. it's so nice to get a "wow" reaction after working so hard.

fyi

2008-07-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

we're expecting! i began feeling sick last wednesday and the nausea has not gone way ever since. if this is anything like my other pregnancies, i can expect to be miserable 24/7 for another couple months. *groan* the days are very long...

i am devoting a whole new blog to this adventure: http://mamasbun.blogspot.com/. i was going to wait til my first appointment (august 13th) to spread the news, but i've already told some people - so i figured i might as well tell everyone!

stamp of approval

2008-07-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

jenna likes the new pool....a LOT.

5 things...

2008-07-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

i am copying beth and doing this just for fun. that, and five is my lucky number...

what was i doing five years ago?
i was living in rexburg, idaho with my then-husband and jessica. summer 2003 has some really great memories. i miss my friends!!

what are five things on my to-do list today? in no particular order...

get a tan
run an errand for this weekend's bbq party
inflate the new pool
take down more ugly wallpaper
clean the bathrooms

what are five snacks i enjoy?

strawberry twizzlers
chocolate-almond rugalah
peanut m&ms
fresh fruit in vanilla yogurt
assorted veggies and ranch dressing

what five things i would do if i were a billionaire...

remodel this house, rent it out and build our dream home
donate money to reputable charities
pay off mortgages of friends and family
take ourselves and our loved ones on a vacation they'll never forget
find various useful/helpful ways to spend money on places/people that need it

what are my five bad habits

sweet tooth
impatience
failing to get on the treadmill :o)
waiting til the end of the day to read scriptures (when i am exhausted)
overworking myself / not giving myself a break

five places i have lived...

southern california
provo, utah
washington state, north of seattle
rexburg, idaho
washington state, south of seattle

five jobs i have had...

hostess at guiseppe's italian ristorante
birthday waitress (and sometimes chuck) at chuck e. cheese's
receptionist at artistic design hair/tanning salon
merry maids
data entry for the federal employee program at premera blue cross

five callings i've held...

sunbeam teacher
sunday school teacher for the 13 year old boys
ward website (for about two seconds)
relief society newsletter/spotlights
activities committee

five indulgences... (i am adding this one)

sweets
bubble baths with relaxing music & candles
sleeping in
watching a great movie (in the dark, with no kids)
dancing

that was fun!!

things 'n' stuff

2008-07-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

our camera went missing for a few days (which explains my lack of recent posts). i just discovered it in the van, buried inside my new organizer. hmm...is that ironic? it was under the bag of dum-dums we took with us on our last trip to snoqualmie falls. for some reason, i didn't take any photos on that spontaneous adventure - but it sure was fun, hiking down to the falls with the kids! i love my organizer, btw. yes, my camera was buried inside it, but the van has been soooo much neater with this thing!now that i have my camera back, i just had to snap a photo of my latest indulgence! ice breakers has come out with the most mouth-watering chewy sours - EVER!! they are seriously addicting, people - so BEWARE! i am quickly learning which stores carry them and which do not (a sign of a true chewy sours addict??). the other day, i bought a pack from the gas station by the mall and by the time i arrived home (ten minutes later), i had eaten the entire contents! yes, they are that good. i need to stay away...

at the grocery store today, i was in line behind a familiar-looking woman and her two cute children. she had much more than i did, and offered that we go in front of her. i politely declined, since i was in no hurry and was still on a "date" with jessica. well, as this woman and i were both bagging our items, she said she remembered me. that's when i took a closer look and it all came back to me... the little ones and i were at the mall MONTHS ago, playing at the "boat" kiddie area. there was one other woman there with her children. our boys became instant friends and eventually the other mom and i got talking. it was fun! we walked all the way through the mall together and exchanged numbers at target, before going our separate ways.

well, neither one of us got around to calling each other! how fun, to run into her again! so i got her number (again) and i will definitely call her this time so we can get together. lately, i've trying to have more "girlfriend" time. sure, we moms get busy with our children, but we need to connect with other adults! so, i am trying to be better at that.

for the next month, jim will be gone for military training. we all miss him a lot. when he returns for good, the deployment will be OVER!! jim will return to amazon full-time, just in time for school to start. jessica will start piano and soccer, james will begin joy school (which i will take part in teaching), and jenna and i will have some one-on-one time we've never really had! there is a lot to look forward to...

new bikes!!

2008-07-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

over the weekend, jim and i took a break from painting to purchase new bikes! jessica, james and i all have new bikes now. we also found a cute little trike for jenna at the DI - really solid and in great condition. it even has a little bell on it. we bought her a new basket to adorn the new tricycle.

on monday, during naptime, we revealed to jessica her new bike. she was ecstatic! right away, jim spent time teaching jessica how to ride her new bike. he was an awesome teacher! it was fun to watch them together.

when james and jenna woke from their naps, they tried out their bikes, too. we quickly learned that jenna's legs aren't long enough for her new, pink trike - so she'll be using the other one for now. james quickly hopped on his new bike and has a great time riding up and down the street.

in addition to the bikes, we bought a couple trailers - one for jess to ride behind one of us and another for james and jenna to sit in. with jim having monday off, we seized the opportunity to hit the trails!! first, we rode the new trailers up and down our cul de sac - then, we were on our way!

updating

2008-07-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

we spent a good portion of our 4th painting the entry a lovely shade of green. painting can be a pain, but it sure is worth the effort. the walls look so much better now!! we even bought a few new, white switchplates to replace the ugly, old brown ones. amazing, how color can update a room! now we just need new carpet, railing, floors, crown molding.... haha!! we have big plans.

just look at the difference...not only in the hallway, but in the KIDS!! this before picture was taken one year ago, when we first moved in. goodbye, ugly peachy brown color!! this past weekend was only part one. we still have to finish painting the upstairs hallway in the lighter shade of green, and do some touch ups here and there. we are having so much fun making this house "our own."

independence day

2008-07-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

we are without kids this weekend! after a YUMMY brunch at ihop, we took advantage of the military discount at home depot and purchased a bunch of paint and supplies. yep, that's right - we're gonna fix up that hallway we tore to shreds! we're also going to try squeezing in some movie-watching, bike-riding and geo-caching into our weekend. phew!

oh...and there's a huge party at the end of our cul de sac (thrown every year). there's a massive feast, volleyball, horseshoes, dunk tank - even fireworks at the end of the night! jim is making a brief appearance for our family. jess was heart-broken over missing out on the celebration this year, so i promised her i wouldn't attend it without her because she was so sad about it.

tearing it up

2008-07-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

our front entry has been sort of a peachy brown color. we abhor it. for some delightful reason, the previous owners decided to paint this color over the hallway's wallpaper. *sigh* when we moved in, jenna had found a small piece of wallpaper sticking out, towards the bottom of the floor - and before we knew it...riiiiiip! she'd torn a big piece off. we've left it that way for several months.

last night, for some reason, i decided to start tearing the paint-covered wallpaper off. i'd just returned home from running errands. jim was working, the kids were watching "the last mimzy," and i began to pick at the walls. james wandered into the hallway, curious. he wanted to tear a piece off, too. pretty soon, all the kids were tearing wallpaper off. they'd completely lost interest in their movie.

james kept asking for help, saying "i don't know how to do this!" i'd pick at the wallpaper with my nail and start a piece for him. every time i did this, jenna would push us aside, exclaiming, "MY DO IT, MY DO IT!!!" jenna was also our trash girl, throwing wallpaper away...aaaand taking it back out again. jessica was in heaven, tearing off huge pieces and showing me her work. she certainly did the most, and we really appreciated her efforts.

messy, spontaneous fun ROCKS!!!

spontaneous

2008-07-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Much to the kiddos delight (and mine, because I was tired of those two, dinky, hard pools we have), we bought an inflatable! Sure enough, just as we surmised, the pool was much smaller than the picture on the box. Those deceptive pool people...

The children returned from their weekend with their father and we immediately told them to get into their swimsuits (they were more than happy to)! Pretty soon, they were outside, shrieking with delight over the whale pool that spouts water.

Meanwhile, I was in the kitchen (watching them from the window) as I prepared some fun finger foods for a late-night snack. Jim set up one of our TVs outside and we all ended up watching a movie outside on the deck. Fun, fun!!

P.S. We forgot to put the pool away and an animal chewed a hole in it during the night. The slide still works, though. Oh well....back to the hard plastic pools until we buy another inflatable!

excursion

2008-06-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

(to watch this video, go to the bottom of this page to pause the music)

tuesday at the zoo

2008-06-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

we woke up to the sun, pouring into our windows. blue skies, warm temperatures - the perfect day for a zoo outing! i invited my new friend, brianne (and her children), to come along. it took us a while to get going, but we were finally on our way and having a fun time.

jenna is wearing a swimsuit underneath, i assure you.
(there was an "accident" on the way to the zoo)

jessica rests in a fun little chair, at the kid zone

scooba dress-ups, near the petting zoo

with james, everywhere we go, it's all about the map.

jessica, jenna and james...in the mouth of a shark!

a very giddy jenna poses with her big sis, jessica

sunday afternoon

2008-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

the only downside on sunday was jim having to work, unable to attend church with us. however, when we turned into our cul de sac after church was over, his supra came into view and we all got really excited! he was allowed to come home early. it was so nice to have him home with us. he did have to do some work for amazon, but at least he was physically present! i was extremely camera happy on sunday, as you can see here - candid jim, totally caught off guard. he's super cute, in "nerd" mode...

with jim home, jessica and i were able to spend some quality time together. jenna was napping, james had crashed on the couch, and we were free to roam about the great outdoors! ah, i love sundays like this...

we first walked to the side of the house to check out our roses and strawberries. we were happy to see the strawberries growing nicely. they sure looked tasty! we decided to pick the best-looking one and share it. jessica, being the sweetheart that she is, shared her half of the strawberry with jim. it was DELECTABLE (i teach the kids a new word each week - "delectable" was last week's word)...

we had a nice little walk around our cul de sac. it was a gorgeous, sunny day and so pleasant to be out walking with my first-born. since life is so busy, we have become more realistic about our alone time. recently, we started talking about "grabbing moments" with one another. so now(aside from our occasional "mommy-daughter dates"), we grab moments together, like taking a sunday walk. here she is, dancing along with her shadow...

after PERAMBULATING (this week's word) about our neighborhood, we headed home. we were greeted at the front door by a silly-acting jim. funny, he kinda resembles his t-shirt...

jenna woke up from her nap shortly after we returned home and immediately wanted "daddy time!!" they are so cute together, with their little conversations and silly play.

aaaand, the perfect end to a perfect sunday - sunday dinner! it was simple, yet...DELECTABLE!

stinky princess

2008-06-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

jenna is my sassy little sweet pea - and we love her grandly.

she turned two at the end of march and is finally talking up a storm. as i type this, she is stuffing "little people" toys into my shirt. my back is beginning to resemble that of the gruffalo (one of our favorite children's books).

not surprisingly, her vocabulary and snuggliness has greatly increased ever since i stopped doing childcare. after two years, she suddenly has her mommy back - 100%. she is my savior, who - without even realizing it - brought me so much comfort during the saddest time in my life. today, she is such a hilarious ball of silly sunshine. i love her dearly.

a moment ago, she crawled onto my lap, generously licked her hand and smeared it all over my arm. "LOTION, mom!!" she exclaimed with sheer delight.

what a ham.

another hit!

2008-06-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

every now and then i get brave and try something new for dinner, not knowing how it's going to turn out. sometimes my creation turns out "blah," and other times it's incredibly delicious! well, tonight i was looking around the kitchen, trying to decide on what to make for dinner. it was a busy day with the kids (errands, water play outside, arts & crafts) and i hadn't planned anything. i ended up throwing some different things together, after deciding they'd compliment one another nicely. the results....YUM. i didn't measure anything, so fix it to your satisfaction.

you'll need:

1.5 pounds of sirloin steak (mine said "beef petite sirloin steak")
1 pound frozen stir fry veggies (mine had broccoli, sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, celery, water chestnuts, onion and red peppers)
extra virgin olive oil
steak seasoning
newman's balsamic vinagrette
jack cheese
2 vine-ripened tomatoes

heat olive oil (about 3 tbsp.) and balsamic vinagrette (about 1/2 cup) together in large stir fry pan, medium-high heat. cook the strips of steak for a few minutes on each side (mine were sliced in thin, long strips). as you cook the meat, sprinkle generously with steak seasoning (i used mccormick's "grill mates" montreal steak seasoning). transfer meat to a plate and keep warm in oven at 200 degrees. add frozen stir fry veggies to the oil/vinagrette mixture. follow directions on stir fry bag (or stir constantly on medium heat for 5-7 minutes). remove meat from oven - dice and mix into the cooked stir fry. dice two tomatoes and shred about two cups of jack cheese - add to meat/stir fry and mix. put heat on low and allow tomatoes to warm and cheese to melt completely. i served this with mashed potatoes and warmed peaches sprinkled with cinnamon. this is the most divine meal!!! enjoy!

fishy freeze pops

2008-06-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

i've had this recipe for years - before i even had any children! today, i finally made them. what a fun summer treat - and so fun for children to help with!

you'll need:

13 oz. blue gelatin
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 cup white grape juice
snack size ziploc bags
a variety of gummy sea creatures

directions:

dissolve gelatin and sugar in boiling water. let the mixture sit for 2 minutes, then add white grape juice. for each pop, pour syrup into ziploc bag until half-full. place the bags upright and chill until partially solidified.

press gummy sea creatures into the gelatin, seal them up and place in the freezer.

to eat, slice the short side of the bag and push the frozen pop out one bite at a time. enjoy!

celebrate summer!!

2008-06-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

we've had a really fun day today, celebrating the coming of summer! in addition to our three, we had jasmine over, plus cousins, josh and alexis!

after playing outside for a while, it was time to eat! the kids loved having chicken nuggets, grapes, "gogurt" and sunny delight for lunch.

the perfect day for....water balloons!!

james picked the magic number, so he got to throw the first water balloon of the season!

"oh nooo you DIDN'T!!!" james prepares to wage a water balloon war...

jenna - happy to be completely soaked!

wedding / honeymoon

2008-06-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

lots of people have been asking to see pictures from the wedding, so i thought i'd post some for your viewing pleasure. i wish i could post more, but there are hundreds! thank you, stephanie, for coming all the way from cali to capture our special day! a HUGE thanks to shar for putting this whole thing together. we are so thankful to everyone who helped make this not only possible, but memorable and beautiful.

first look

mr. and mrs. james alma conner!!

sweet jenna and me

my best friend, shallyn and me - she is AMAZING.

me with my beautiful children

on the dance floor with jessica and james

------------------------------------------------------

as for the honeymoon....

...PERFECT.

i made a pie...

2008-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

...from scratch!! i have been meaning to make a pie for years now (about thirty). i think i waited so long because i was intimidated by it. well, you know what?? IT'S EASY. i'm going to make pies from scratch more often! i think my family would like that - everyone thought the cherry pie was delish!

i took a photo of the pie before it went into the oven. not sure why i didn't take an "after" photo - it would have been more appealing. ah, well. here it is!!

show and tell

2008-06-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

i got tagged! it took me a while to get around to doing this, partly because of being so busy and partly because i was obsessing over my blog's appearance. i finally gave up. anyway, thanks for the tag, tina! now, i am stepping outside of my comfort zone by NOT cleaning anything for this show and tell. yep, that's right, folks - this is REALITY!!! i received the tag and immediately took pictures, as is (course, it has taken me a week or so to post this).

1. kitchen sink
ah, yes...there are those dried flowers that i keep meaning to throw out. i don't know if it's because i am busy, lazy, or unsure of when i will get real flowers again? the window needs a few squirts of windex, but i sure love the view. i enjoy watching and hearing the kids play in our backyard while i do dishes or make dinner. it's difficult to see, but jessica's pumpkin plant is sitting on top of the red dish. we're going to plant it in our vegetable garden soon. there are rarely any dishes to be seen here - i can't stand the clutter. a clean sink is a happy ellen.

2. refrigerator
i am always taking stuff off this fridge, in an attempt to de-clutter it. it's futile. one day i will have a shiny, pretty fridge with nothing on it! see those letters? jenna is obsessed with the alphabet. she loves to join me in the kitchen and "do ABC's" while i prep meals or clean.

3. toilet
i decided to snap the kids' bathroom because it is more exciting. this is where james finally decided to get potty trained and now jenna is starting to train. we just bought her a dora potty seat and everything - yes, very thrilling. but oh, the amounts of pee i have cleaned off every surface of this bathroom from all the potty training. i keep those cleaning wipes nearby! i have plans to paint this room blue, like the stripes in the shower curtain. i want a surfing/beachy theme.

4. laundry

first off - i am checking my vent ASAP. thanks for the fire safety tip, tina! so...here are my lovely washer and dryer. looks like we've got some dirty kitchen towels and placemats waiting to be washed. on the dryer are james' shoes that were involved in an accident (if ya know what i mean) and a package of wipes. the laundry area is near the sliding doors to the backyard. i like to have wipes handy because, well...i've needed them from time to time for one reason or another. i'd like a laundry room someday...or at least some doors to cover these babies up. i'm one of those people that likes to "hide" things - which is why i have armoires to cover up my downstairs computer and tv. just looks nicer that way...

5. what the kids are doing
jessica: finishing up her after-school snack

james and jenna: playing "naptime" (right after they just woke from their real naps)

6. favorite room
here i am, piecing three pics together to show you a choppy view of our bedroom. i have to admit, this was taken days after all the other photos because 1) i couldn't decide on my favorite room yet and 2) with the state it was in, i wouldn't have wanted to take a picture of it anyway! we have our grand remodeling plans, of course...but for now, i do love our room. i love it even better when it's free of children's toys, diapers, shoes and clothing!! this, unfortunately, tends to be the dumping grounds for kid stuff. it's just so easy to throw something in, rather than take a few extra seconds to put it away. i love reading in here, especially now that we have that massive chair by the corner window. it's kinda mashed in there, but we like it just the same.

7. my closet
there is so much stuff crammed in here. sadly, i don't even use most of it! i need to go through my clothes again. see the black mass on the left? that's my guitar i never play. i tell you, there is simply not enough time - for anything!

8. favorite shoes
yeahhh, i know i have the world's only neon tan. so there are my new favorite shoes! i do have a favorite pair of snakeskin stillettos...but i never wear them. they just sit in my closet, wishing to be worn. these are my comfy slips ons that go with almost all my spring/summer wear. i did have other beloved brown sandals, but they met their demise at the end of our honeymoon. somehow, i managed to leave them in our hotel room before getting on the plane home. they are probably being worn right now by the hotel maid, consuelita. no, i'm serious - that was her name. when it was clear i would never wear those sandals again, i went on the hunt for new favorites - and here they are!

9. self portrait
still enjoying my new "do" - although i still miss my low maintenance locks. i am sure i'll want to grow my hair out when another baby comes along. people tend to think shorter hair means less time getting ready, but it's actually the complete opposite!

10. dream vacation
honestly, right now i am just wishing my husband and i were back at the chinaberry hill bed and breakfast, where we stayed on our wedding night. what a luxurious, relaxing, fun, wonderful experience. i want to go back.

keri - tag your it!! it's your turn for the show and tell!

update

2008-06-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

i have oodles of updates - one of these days i will get around to it. i may not be doing childcare anymore, but we are still very busy. jessica just completed first grade and now we face a whole summer of fun (hopefully). today, we started a list of things we can do this summer. i hope we can all stay busy and happy, all the way 'til school starts in the fall.

and now for some mini updates...

jim (aka, THE jim)

two more months left in his military deployment
working part-time at amazon (his civilian job)
church calling: EQ teacher
when he's not working, he helps out at home, makes minor repairs and works on keeping our yards beautiful. he does a fantastic job and we really appreciate him!
enjoys his down time watching sci-fi shows - "taken" and "4400."
recently had some medical training for the army. i still can't bear to look at what it did to his arm...

ellen

after two years, no longer doing childcare - woohoo!!! thank you, jim!
new haircut, with rave reviews :o)
trying to get back into exercise (darn newlywed pounds!)
currently reading dr. schlessinger's "stop whining, start living"
making summer plans
on church activities committee - currently planning summer BBQ at the beach
contemplating her next sewing project
got a free "new" piano for the home - thank you, trish and jim!!
recently became addicted to the TLC show, "jon and kate plus eight"
finally went to the seattle art museum - what a fun friday the 13th date!

jessica

just completed first grade - had a fantastic report card
making summer plans with mom
enjoying her best friend, hannah - who lives just down the street (so convenient!)
all signed up for soccer in the fall
plans to take piano lessons
took twelve inches off her hair - donating hair along with mom's
entering summer reading program
excited about being invited to a 2nd grader's summer swim party
loves to dance and sing like a popstar

james

beginning to write his name
can spell some words and count to 20
very helpful and loving
loves to read - has memorized many of our favorite books
plans to start joy school in the fall (mommy will teach)
favorite movies: cars, the incredibles
loves doing puzzles and coloring
like jenna, thoroughly enjoyed having a baby in the house for a while

jenna

beginning to potty train!!
can sing her ABC's
talking up a storm
loves taking care of her babies
sassy as ever
favorite movie: finding nemo
always wants to know when she'll play with jasmine again

there is so much more to say, but that will have to do for now. hopefully i will find time to stay on top of this blog!! i am trying to spend less time on the computer, not more - so we'll see! in the meantime, drop us a comment, ya'll!

serenity in the weeds

2008-05-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

i love to weed!!

our family has been thoroughly enjoying the yards, lately - both front and back. i tell ya, there is something so comforting about having a nice home to live in, with a lovely plot of land to beautify. i am thrilled that spring is here, and that summer will soon follow.

it's naptime right now, which is the only reason i am on here, blogging. just a while ago, the kids and i were out back, getting dirty. i'd purchased miniature gardening gloves for their little hands, and cutesy kid shovels so they could mimic and fall in love with the soil just like their mom. it was pure heaven, watching them dig and discover while i tore up crazy mazes of roots in what will soon be the vegetable garden.

yesterday, jim and i spent a good chunk of time getting the front mowed and weeded. amazing, how a little yard TLC goes a long way. the front looks so good, i just want to linger on the porch and breathe in the fresh cool scent of my verdant view.

this is to be our new family blog, where we'll (as often as possible) drop in to sprinkle some news about our latest happenings. i want to keep typing, but at the same time...the back yard beckons. i want to finish weeding that vegetable garden area before naptime is over.

'til next time!!